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<html>
  <head>
    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text-html; charset=Windows-1252">
    <title>
      explorer-extensions
    </title>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="../css/help.css" type="text/css">
  </head>
  <body>
    <h1>
      Using the Explorer Extensions
    </h1>
    <p>
      When <em>Version Information Spy</em> is installed a Windows Explorer
      shell extension is provided. The extension provides two facilities when a
      file containing version information is selected in Explorer.
    </p>
    <h2>
      Explorer Context Menu
    </h2>
    <p>
      A new <em>Version Information</em> menu option is added to the Explorer
      context menu. Selecting this menu option opens <em>Version Information
      Spy</em> and displays the file's version information.
    </p>
    <p>
      The context menu item only appears for files with extensions that are
      known to <em>Version Information Spy</em>. Further extensions can be added
      and activated using the <em>Advanced</em> tab of the <a
        href="dlg-explorer-ext.htm"
      >Explorer Extensions dialog box</a>. Alternatively the program can ask the
      user whether to activate the context menu for a previously unknown file
      type when such a file is opened.
    </p>
    <p>
      By default a single instance of the program is used for all files accessed
      via this context menu, but this can be changed.
    </p>
    <h2>
      Property Sheet Enhancement
    </h2>
    <p>
      <em>Version Information Spy</em> can also add a new <a
        href="property-sheet.htm"
      >Version Extra tab</a> to a file's property sheet. This new tab provides
      detailed version information and has a similar display layout to the main
      program.
    </p>
    <p>
      Like the context menu handler, the property sheet is only available for
      files with known extensions. The <em>Advanced</em> tab of the <a
        href="dlg-explorer-ext.htm"
      >Explorer Extensions dialog box</a> can also be used to add further file
      extensions. The automatic registration of unknown file extensions noted
      above also works for the property sheet.
    </p>
    <h2>
      Customising the Shell Extensions
    </h2>
    <p>
      The behaviour of both the context menu and the property sheet can be
      customised, or switched on or off, by using the <a
        href="dlg-explorer-ext.htm"
      >Explorer Extensions dialog box</a>. The dialog box is displayed by
      selecting the <span
        class="menuref"
      >Options | Explorer Extension</span> menu option.
    </p>
  </body>
</html>

